If you are a parent and you are worried about how your child is performing on the field or about how much playing time he is getting or even something as simple as a bad call by a referee, stop, think and wait 10 seconds before you jump off the bleachers and charge a coach or other official.

Wednesday, January 26, 2000

If you are a parent and you are worried about how your child is performing on the field or about how much playing time he is getting or even something as simple as a bad call by a referee, stop, think and wait 10 seconds before you jump off the bleachers and charge a coach or other official.

No one should have to tell parents that their child’s sporting event is not the place to question a call, critique a coach’s decision or otherwise cause a disturbance. Yet, increasingly, many parents are disregarding decorum and shedding their responsibilities as adults to make their feelings known to anyone who will listen – right in front of their children.

It goes without saying that this is a poor choice because of the legal ramifications, but this behavior is also a horrible example for a child who, unfortunately, has a front-row seat.

Scholastic sports are about teaching. Children learn cooperation, self-discipline and how to turn a dream into reality with a little hard work. But, the most important lesson of all comes in the form of learning how to win gracefully, to celebrate an effort when their is no trophy and to respect an opponent, in victory or defeat.

Those lessons, when learned young, last a lifetime – and they are taught by example.

There are few situations at a child’s game that merit a parent’s reaction – and many, many more when that interference could do damage that will last a lifetime.

Weighing reactions carefully and practicing what we preach is the best way to keep scholastic sports fun – and valuable.